World Cup announcer pulled from tournament after shocking Iran mistake
World Cup announcer pulled from tournament after shocking Iran mistake
Rory RobinsonWed, June 17, 2026 at 10:56 PM UTC
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Murat Ekrem Cimen was removed from World Cup commentary duties after on-air mix-ups between Iran and New Zealand -Credit:Getty (Getty)
Turkish broadcaster Murat Ekrem Cimen was suspended from his World Cup duties after confusing the teams during Iran's group-stage match against New Zealand.
Cimen is one of Turkey's most experienced soccer journalists with over 30 years in broadcasting. He is widely respected in Turkey, much like well-known American broadcasters such as Bob Costas and Al Michaels.
Viewers were surprised by his mistake during the 2026 World Cup because of his respected status. For about four minutes, Cimen mixed up the identities of both teams and incorrectly listed the wrong players running on the pitch. Meanwhile, World Cup fans screamed "rigged" after Harry Kane scored a second penalty chance for England.
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Iran wore white and New Zealand wore black to show a glaring distinction that was obvious to the 70,108 fans at SoFi Stadium, and those viewing around the world on FS1, Tele, and Peacock. Cimen kept mixing up the teams as the match went on.
Clips of his mistakes quickly spread on social media, with many people asking how such an error could happen during the World Cup. The Turkish state broadcaster later suspended Cimen from covering the tournament in a statement.
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"We apologize to our viewers and the public for this error," wrote TRT. "It is unacceptable for TRT that someone with over 30 years of experience in sports broadcasting would make such a mistake."
The network reportedly acknowledged Cimen's lengthy career and standing within Turkish sports media before sharing that the broadcaster would be removed from the team's World Cup broadcast coverage for the rest of the games in the United States.
The suspension prompted viewers to discuss the pressures live commentators face while roasting the network for its original pairing choice and broadcasting quality. One viewer on X wrote, "I've been saying since the cup started, there's a disgraceful choice of commentators."
A second World Cup viewer added, "TRT is giving a really poor performance in the World Cup, even inserting ads during water breaks."Another added, "We're paying so much tax to TRT. We need funny things. You left us with a nice smile, TRT, thanks."
Several Turkish journalists came to the defense of Cimen -Credit:Getty
The fallout was so intense that it led to glitches on Cimen's Instagram page following a surge of heckler attention. His linked X account also disappeared after the mistake. Several of Cimen's colleagues have since spoken out in favor of his credibility and work over the years.
Turkish Beyaz TV commentator Ertem Sener wrote, "My colleague made a mistake, yes, but the utterly outrageous personal insults directed at him are deeply upsetting to me.
"He has a family! Murat didn't commit a shameful crime; he made a professional error, and he didn't do it alone," he continued. "This profession is far too honorable to be fodder for the hyenas on social media."
Source: “AOL Sports”
